Discussing a dystopian novel during a pandemic is often a surreal experience. Was real life mimicking a fictional tale? Perhaps with a different cause — a virus rather than a power outage — but would our world end up as chaotic as the suburbs depicted in The After Days?

Inspired by The After Days, almost everyone discussing The After Days at the Cambridge Street Papers event had filled their pantries with food to prepare for Covid-19. “I wouldn’t have done that before I read The After Days,” said one participant.